One definition for "exhort" means to "encourage." I really enjoy encouraging others, as well as writing. Consequently, this blog was born. I tag the word "negative" onto my title because it is hard to find the silver lining in everything, all the time. My desire is to get you to think twice about your life. If nothing else, enjoy my blog! In the end, it's not about me or this blog, but all about Him.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Thursday Thoughts and the 30 Hour Famine

I promised I'd write more regularly! :) First, I'll start with some thoughts I had on Thursday. Every Thursday I drive about 2 hours at least. Thus, I have a lot of time to think haha. My thoughts in this post will consist of why good people die, a misfit army, and then my 30 hour famine (that I didn't do alone of course haha).

1) Why do good people die?
One of the most trying, difficult question a Christian must face. Non-believes consistently ask this question and Christians consistently don't have an answer. I don't have the answer. Honestly, the question is valid and isn't easy to respond to. Of course, whoever said the answers were supposed to be easy? While I was driving, I was thinking of how sad (obviously) it is when someone dies. For some reason, this deceased person always seems to have the most potential to change the world. Or they seemed to be one of the best people you ever knew or came across. Something makes them stand out from the world as superior to the others and all you can say to yourself sometimes is, "Why them?" Out of all people, they had so much life to live. Even the not-so-great people still could've turned their lives around and you ask yourself, "Why so soon?" But as I was driving, I realized something. We mourn about good people dying. There isn't anything wrong with that. Yet, at the same time, the GREATEST man that ever walked this earth died for us -- but Christians and non-Christians alike don't mourn about it. I'm not saying we don't care about His death -- we do. I'm also not saying we need to walk around in black, crying our eyeballs out of our sockets. Instead, I'm saying if we truly cared, we would be devastated. If we cared, we would rejoice in Christ's resurrection every single day. If we cared, we would tell the world about Him. If we cared, life's circumstances wouldn't get us down. If we cared, we could change the world. If we cared, we could stand up from the hilltops and proclaim Jesus like nobody has before. Let the lost ones in this world inspire you.

2) Misfit Army
Don't laugh. I find my tag clever ... Actually, that phrase, "Misfit Army," kept pounding in my head. Usually, that means I'm supposed to take action on a recurring idea. A lot of times, for me, it means to write about it. Basically, I was just admiring God. He is so anti-world. It's great! Haha. I was in awe. Well, I still am I guess ... God uses the weakest to be His strongest. Some of the most broken, messed up people are the people God uses for His glory the most. For example, take a girl who has done drugs, cut herself, gotten pregnant out of wedlock, nearly commits suicide, but finds Jesus instead. Those types of people have a fire like I've never seen for Jesus. Not only do I love that, but I love that Jesus uses the weakest to lead -- by the world's standard -- the "strongest." Can you imagine a chief officer placing his weakest men in the front? Weird strategy, right? Why would someone place a guy with a missing arm in the front row? Exactly; it makes no sense. Yet who uses that strategy and EXCELS? Jesus. And it only works with Him ...

3) 30 Hour Famine
Food never tasted so good after that famine (which, for the record, I actually went 31 hours! ;) For me, it showed how selfish I am. I was SO excited to eat ... and it was only 30 hours. Usually, I can't go 30 minutes without eating. And I whined and complained because I'm a weenie. So for me, yes, it was an accomplishment. I shouldn't have complained and focused more on what matters. So what matters? People around the world who go much longer than 30 minutes from eating. In fact, it kills men, women, and children alike everyday. What do I do? Sit on my couch and eat Goldfish. COOL. I'm a great Christian :P I think what I'm trying to say is ... after the famine, I realize how much time I waste thinking of myself.

I'm not in the Misfit Army -- I'm misfit FOR the army. I suppose that makes me the perfect candidate for You, doesn't it? Lord, train me to be worthy of your army of love that proclaims not ourselves, "but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 4:5-6).

Where do we keep our treasure? In "jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (1 Cor. 4:7).
And this is how the army stands: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but no driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies [...] So death is at work in us, but life in you [...] For it is all for your sake, so that s grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart [...] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (1 Cor. 4:8-10, 12, 15-18).